Radmir
Stopping the car right in the middle of the dusty ranch, I rested my forehead on the steering wheel, wondering what the fuck was a good decision in this situation.
My insides screamed at me to go beat the shit out of the fucker and then kill him like no one’s business, so he wouldn't ever think about hurting my family or me. A simmering rage brushed my skin as if urging me to listen to myself.
But then another voice spoke, reminding me he wasn't just a man who screwed up and I had the right to inflict revenge on him. He was my woman’s father and my son’s grandfather who, despite everything he did, was still loved by them. Would I be able to look into their eyes if I killed him?
Vivian would never forgive me, and what was the point of my life if she wasn't in it?
Raising my head from the steering wheel, I banged on the thing a few times with all my might until pain shot from my knuckles to my upper arm and I stopped.
Just like back then, I had no fucking choice but to accept it. But fuck if I stayed silent about it and not put him in prison for what he did.
He deserved punishment.
Hopping down from the Gelenvagen, I closed the door loudly and motioned for Yuri and Gleb to stay put, even though they had their guns ready. We wouldn't stay long. My family had to be taken back to where they belonged.
As long as her father wasn’t behind bars, we weren't safe, and I wasn't going to risk my family ever again. Vivian would just have to deal with it.
The man in question stood near the horse ring, where two men tried to tame a moonlight-colored horse who didn't want to listen to them. Edward rested one leg on a log, while an arm rested on the upper rail and he studied them with a wistful expression, and sadness.
The usual sophisticated pride was gone from him. His shoulders slumped and he appeared to have aged a few years since the last time we had seen each other.
“I knew you’d come at some point.” His voice was devoid of any emotion. After one last glance to his horse, he turned to me and his exhausted green eyes met my furious ones.
“You thought I’d spare you just because you are her father?”
He chuckled. “No, I was sure you’d come for me the minute you were out. You actually gave me more time that I expected.” He removed his Stetson hat, hanging it on the fence post. “They’re in the house having iced tea. You won’t do this in front of them, right?” He pointed at his massive ranch, which was located on three hundred acres, surrounded by beautiful nature and had more cattle than one could count. It spoke of money, status, and luxury. The house was built with the strongest oak trees and the huge construction reminded me more of a castle. It had two levels, with a huge-ass porch that opened to a view of the whole ranch. The house sat on a small rise, the horse stables and training ring several hundred feet away. Vivian told me they even had a small rose garden somewhere.
“I see you’ve heard about my methods.”
The old man acted weird as fuck and breezy about the whole thing. He didn't even care about being caught?
“Hard not to, considering you killed everyone else involved in your case.” He must have seen my surprise as he chuckled again, even though it lacked humor. “You were discreet about it and no one could trace it to you, but come on. It wasn't hard to guess.” Tired of the fucking bullshit, I decided to ask the one question that ran through my mind all those years, before I called Melissa here so she could take him into custody.
So this nightmare of mine could finally be over. Even though I took a thorough shower after killing Ben, his blood would forever stay on my hands, and I couldn't help but feel filthy touching my son after it. The Bratva life wasn't easy. I almost never had to torture or take a life; it wasn't the sovietnik’s job. I was turning into a person I didn’t recognize, and I had to put a stop to it in order to keep my family.
Vivian loved me, but she wouldn't stay with me if I kept killing people.
And for those principles, I loved her even more.
“Why did you do it?”
He threw his head back, gazing at the clear blue sky. “I tried to protect my child the best I could. You know—” He snapped his face back to me, as a small smile tugged on his lips. “She was such a good baby. Always curious about the world, loving people and life. She’d go with me on fishing trips and business meetings, while Tina and her mother went shopping. They say you don’t have favorites among your kids, and while I love both of my daughters equally, we shared a special connection. She was my princess. But she was so damned trusting… I always had this fear I wouldn't be able to protect her.” He rubbed his chin. “I ended up doing just that.”
“So you sold her off to Alex Jordan?”
Anger flashed through his eyes, as his back straightened. “They seemed like a good match. She ran off before I could explain no one would make her do anything. Then she met you and her life was never the same.” His jaw tightened and he looked away as the fury rose inside me again.
“And you punished her for that.”
A shadow crossed his face. “In a way. I should have helped her when she was pregnant instead of pushing her away, but those are my regrets. I have to live with them. When she married Alex, I thought she moved on. It took me a year to find out the truth.” As if it changed anything. He didn't even offer her help back then either. What kind of father was he? Were his ambitions more important than his child?
“If you were anyone else, I would kill you.” And how I wished he was just a random fucking guy who could pay for all those years I lost in prison. For the years I wasn't with my woman or my child. Killing everyone else was satisfying, but what good did it do, when the director got away without punishment? “But since it would break Vi’s heart, you get to rot in prison instead.” I expected all kinds of different reactions from Edward, from relief to anger. After all, for a proud man like him, what could possibly be worse? He wouldn't mind dying, but this kind of humiliation for everyone to see could break him.
Instead, I got a fucking frown as if he couldn't possibly comprehend my decision. “Based on what?” he questioned.
He had the nerve to fucking ask me that? This man had to be seen to be believed. “For framing me for the crime you committed. Your turn’s come to pay for Cliff’s life and to rot in prison. No lawyer in the country will help you,” I shouted, throwing the words he had said to me all those years ago in his face.
